Pattie Krohn

I admit I read this Duchovny book before the others because it was a book and not an audio. I had no idea what to expect from an author I knew little about. A science fiction actor. As a writer and a highly selective reader, I proceeded reluctantly. The beginning of the story was minimally impressive. The character didn’t interest me. He wasn’t special. He was the typical retired business man who had done well. But his days began to lose boundaries. He changed time. He forced his imagination to make a story of the flashing lights as he was desperate to grab and hold onto anything. It had to mean something. I was suspicious and I wondered what was hiding behind the black curtains. When the real story emerged, I was swept away. It had become surreal. The imagery, the lady in the lake, the dark pull of the water. The layers of horror as he sinks lower into what could only be Dante’s hopeless pyramid of dungeons. The naked bodies swarming. Evidence of evil and lies. And yet Ridley knows this is exactly where he belongs. As he is lifted back up to the surface to breathe, he ultimately rejects being saved. Of course, he has to. He has already died although at this point I wasn’t certain that he had. Impressed is much too weak a word to describe my reaction to the tight writing, brilliant poetic language, and chancing that the reader would be glad to go along with him. The writer was not afraid to use his most twisted final imagery to honestly finish the story. Completely successful. Bravo! And then I read the others. This one is by far the best.